UNESCO’s Declaration of Ethical Principles in Relation to Climate Change (Part 4)

UNESCO’s Declaration of Ethical Principles in Relation to Climate Change (Part 4)

On November 13, 2017, UNESCO issued a proclamation to address the subject of climate change.

So, here’s a continuation of that proclamation.

Article 12: Public Awareness

Article 12: Public Awareness

Promote awareness regarding climate change and the best practices for responding to it, through strengthening social dialogue, and communication by the media, scientific communities, and civil society organizations, including religious and cultural communities.

Article 13: Responsibility

Ensure effective climate policy and action through appropriate governance measures, by promoting transparency and preventing corruption; and strengthening, at the

State level, assessment mechanisms that underpin social, environmental and societal responsibility of all pertinent actors, including corporations and businesses.

Article 14: International Cooperation

  1. Facilitate, support and engage in international processes and programmes to communicate these principles, and to promote multidisciplinary, pluralistic, and intercultural dialogue around them.
  2. Facilitate, support, and engage in international research collaborations and capacity-building initiatives related to climate change.
  3. Promote sharing of the results of science, technological innovations, and best practices in response to climate change in a timely and equitable manner.
  4. Act with urgency upon the commitments taken in terms of the UNFCCC, the

Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement adopted under the Convention, and the objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs, and of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

  1. Respect and promote solidarity between and among States, as well as individuals, families, groups and communities, with special regard to those rendered vulnerable by the impacts of climate change and those who have the most limited capacities.
  2. Promote coherence between climate change mechanisms and already existing mechanisms of international cooperation, including cooperation on development, with special regard for climate change responses that can also contribute to addressing other policy goals that advance the well-being of all peoples.

Article 15: Promotion and Dissemination by UNESCO

Article 15: Promotion and Dissemination by UNESCO

UNESCO has the vocation to be the principal United Nations agency to promote and disseminate this Declaration, and accordingly should work in collaboration with other United Nations entities, including but not limited to COMEST, the International

Bioethics Committee (IBC), the Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee (IGBC), the

International Hydrological Programme (IHP), the Man and the Biosphere Programme

(MAB), the International Geosciences Programme (IGCP), the International Basic

Sciences Programme (IBSP), the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission

(IOC), the Management of Social Transformation Programme (MOST), the IPCC, the UNFCCC, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations

Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Convention on Biological

Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the World Intellectual Property

Organization (WIPO), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United

Nations Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and other relevant international bodies working on the issues of climate change, including the International Council for Science, the International Social Science Council, as well as the Future Earth:

Research for Global Sustainability programme for which UNESCO is a co-sponsor, as well as any other intergovernmental body working in the field of climate change.

Final provisions

Article 16: Interrelation and complementarity of the principles

The Declaration needs to be understood as a whole, and principles are to be understood as complementary and interrelated. Each principle is to be considered in the context of the other principles, as appropriate and relevant in the circumstances.

Article 17: Denial of acts contrary to human rights, fundamental freedoms, human dignity, and concern for life on Earth

Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as approval for any State, other social actor, group, or person to engage in any activity or perform any act contrary to human rights, fundamental freedoms, human dignity, and concern for life on Earth.

Article 18: Denial of reinterpretation of the principles and provisions of the

UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement adopted under the Convention

Nothing in this Declaration may be considered as an interpretation of the principles and provisions of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement adopted under the Convention.

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